07 October 2008

A reader has alerted Lost City to a threat to five of the assortment of buildings along W. 28th Street which were once collectively known as Tin Pan Alley, the early-20th-century wellspring of much of America's musical heritage.

The five buildings at 47-49-51-53-55 West 28th Street has been put up for sale as a group. The Loopnet listing recommends that they be demolished, "yielding over 111,000 sf of Prime Chelsea property." The listing also provides a proposed architectural rendering of what might be built there instead (seen below). The usual thoughtless, anodyne, everyday pile of bricks. The cost to commit this crime: $44,000,000.

The listing has been up since September. One can only hope that, with the current economy, the seller doesn't have a chance in hell of making that price. Lost City has previously decried the fact that these buildings—once home to music publishers that fostered the talents of songwriters Gershwin, Berlin, Donaldson, Carmichael, Warren, Waller, Kahn, Cohan, Mercer, Youmans and dozens more—have been left to rot, with nothing marking their significance to American culture save a small plaque. They don't enjoy landmark status. No pocket museum or tourism bureau marks their presence. It's a positive shanda!

55 W. 28th Street was also, incidentally, the address of famed American socialist Emma Goldman's magazine Mother Earth. If only Goldman were around today. She's organize a hell of a protest against this sale.

6 comments:

Anonymous
said...

Thankyou for this news.Sad to see the possibility of thesewhat would be historic buildings inany other city,get torn down foranother generic hi rise,phooey!Where are the show boz people on thisone ,like Steven Soundhiem,etc.

Thank you for this important article.I hope this news hits show biz people who care about the history of these buildings #45-55 West 28th street.#45 where Gershwin worked is a different landlord then the above.There are 3- Sisters who own 47 -55 west 28th street aka JoFra reality,the children of FrankDagostino(sic?) who owns these buildingsthat you mentioned.He was a florist.

Zero Mostel's the actor's. son TobyMostel has written (in the 1980's)a history of these buildings whichcan be found at The Municipal ArtsSociety of NY.The MAS may first tell you " they cannot find the Mostel history of Tin Pan Alley "but persevere.

A shame that the buildings thatgave us the song'Give my regardsto Broadway" will disappear if no one cares from the Broadway area.

Many artists live there as well andof course the last semblance of theWholesale flower market...boooooo!

I devote a chapter to these buildings in my book, Automats, Taxi Dances, and Vaudeville, which will be out early next summer by NYU Press. All I can say is that to lose them would be a cultural tragedy. They were the earliest and, in many ways, most important buildings in Tin Pan Alley - the place where the popular music industry in the US was created and nurtured, during the 1890s and the first few years after 1900. Numbers 49 and 51 stand out as especially significant, historically - they were the first buildings in the area to become publishing offices when the Witmark brothers (whose company survives today) moved there in 1893.

The original, running Jeremiad on the vestiges of Old New York as they are steamrolled under or threatened by the currently ruthless real estate market and the City Fathers' disregard for Gotham's historical and cultural fabric. Est. January 2006.Contact Me

About Me

I have lived in New York City since 1988 and earn my bread as a writer. I began this blog in January 2006. Beyond that, don't be so nosy.
"I am not a pessimist; to perceive evil where it exists is, in my opinion, a form of optimism."
—Roberto Rossellini